Water-vapor refrigerating apparatus



June 2, 1936- G. H. wooDARD ET AL 2,042,920

WATER VAPOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26, 1934 warn-varon nnralonnamo maarre George lEl. Woodard, lPhillipsburg, N. JI., and .Folin Kir-gan, Easton, Pa., assignors to Ingersoll- Rand Company, Jersey City, N. J., a. corporation of New `Hersey Application September Z6, 193i, Serial No. 745,536

(Cl. 62-l52) 16 Claims.

This invention relates to water-vapor refriger- 'ating apparatus, and particularly to apparatus of that type with steam jet evacuator members.

An object ofthe invention is to provide refrigerating apparatus which can be assembled with one part above another, the parts being preferably in coaxial alignment, thus enabling space to be saved horizontally wherever ample vertical room is available. I

Another object is to provide refrigerating ap'- paratus which, when set up, is braced and made strong and rigid by the disposition and connection of the variousparts.

A further object is to provide in refrigerating lapparatus of this kind an evaporator of special design, adapted for full or part loads and constructed so that it can easily be built intov a vertical arrangement, as set forth.

An additional object is to provide vapor refrigerating apparatus having an evaporator containing multiple chambers, a condenser supported above the evaporator and a plurality of steam jet evacuators extending from the evaporator to the condenser and buttressing the latter.

A further object is to provide refrigerating apparatus having an evaporator Vessel and condenser vessel in coaxial vertical alignment, and having evacuator members conveying vapor from the evaporator to the condenser, the members being symmetrically arranged around the peripheries of the evaporator and condenser and being connected to each to act as braces for the uppermost vessel.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are fully disclosed in the ensuing description, taken with the accompanying drawing, which shows several embodiments of the invention. We of course, reserve the right to make changes not illustrated herein, but embraced within the principle oi the invention, as the claims define the same.

0n the drawing, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of one form oi the invention, partly in section, Figure 2 shows a" horizontal cross section through the evaporator of another form, and' Figure 3 shows a vertical section substantially on line 3-3 through the evaporator of Figure 2.

On theI drawing the same numerals identify the same parts throughout.

The preferred construction embodies an evaporator l above which is a barometric condenser 2. The evaporator l receives water or some other liquid refrigerant, which is partly converted into vapor therein to cool the main body of the water, and this vapor is delivered to the condenser 2 by means of evacuators in the form of steam jet boosters indicated generally by the numeral 3. These boosters connect the top of the evaporator l with the condenser 2, and between the bottom of the condenser and the top of the evaporator is an upright column ll. Preferably the evaporator l, condenser 2 and column i will be in vertical coaxial alignment. The weight of the condenser rests upon the column l and the casings of the boosters, being symmetrically arranged around the peripheries of the evaporator and condenser, brace and stien the condenser in all directions and make the entire construction rigid. The evaporator l is mounted on suitable supports, indicated at 5, having feet S fastened to or imbedded in the supports 5. These feet may be of any suitable shape or material and are shown as consisting ci U-shaped members of iron or steel resting upon the supports 5 and being shouldered so as to receive the lower end of the evaporator l.

'Ine evaporator has an inlet l through which water is admitted, and this water, after being cooled, is discharged through an outlet Cooling water is admitted to the condenser through an inlet 9 and is discharged therefrom through a pipe l0 into a well il. The pipe l@ has a joint at its upper end to enable it to make connection with the column il, which is hollow and may serve as a tail pipe for condenser 2. Preferably this column is formed of a section of pipe, joined at its anged upper end to a flanged outlet neck l2 at the bottom of the condenser 2 and having its flanged lower end engaging a similar flanged neck I3 on the top of the evaporator l. Any suitable means can be employed to secure the column to these two necks. The neck I3, or the column i at any point below its junction with the pipe l0, is closed so that no communication between the evaporator and the condenser by way of the column Q is permitted. This column is thus forced to act as above stated to support the condenser, and serves also to enable the liquid from the vapor and'steam condenser therein to drain down to the hotwell l l. The evaporator and condenser are thus located directly above this well.

In action, the water entering the evaporator i through the inlet 'l is at such a temperature that part of it is at once converted into vapor in the evaporator, because the steam jets within the evacuator members 3 create a sufficiently high vacuum to cause vaporization in the evaporator l in a. manner well understood. Steam is supplied to the members 3 through inlet pipes I4 branching from a common supply pipe I5 connected to the heads i6 of the evacuators 3, these heads each containing one or more nozzles to form jets. The heads of the evacuators communicate with the inside of the evaporator near the top, and the steam jets draw water vapor out of the evaporator i by aspiration, and discharge it upwards' in the evacuators 3. Just above the heads i5 are the elongated tubular discharge casings` i1 of the evacuators, and at the upper ends of the casings i1, bent or goose neck sections i8 put the evacuators into. communication with the interior of the condenser. The steam and vapor are liqueiied in the condenser and ow downward through the column or tail pipe ii and pipe it into the well di. Some of the water in the well i may be piped into the evaporator i to take the place of the water which is vaporized.

In practice the water coming in by way of the inlet l, after being cooled in the evaporator and discharged through the outlet 8, is led on' to a cooling coil or spraying chamber. After absorbing heat and thus producing a refrigerating eect, it is returned to the inlet 1 to be cooled again. To obtain vacuum in the condenser 2, a pipe i9 is connected with the top thereof and leads down to suitable means, such as a two-stage evacuator with inter-condenser 20. This intercondenser 20 will be cooled by water from the cooling water supply of the condenser conveyed to the inter-condenser 20 through a pipe 2i. Connected to the inter-condenser are the steam jet evacuators indicated at 20a and 20h. The eect of the former, 20a, is exerted through the pipe IS to create the-vacuum in the condenserv 2 of the required degree. These evacuators are joined to the steam supply pipe i5 by a branch pipe 22. Pipe 23 aiords an outlet for'condensate from the inter-condenser 20 leading down to the well li. At 24 is another pipe to convey vapor and air from the other evacuator 20h and the inter-condenser down to the well il. The well il has a weir 25 over which the water from4 the pipes I0 and 23 passes and `the end of the pipe 24 is so situated that it receives the discharge from this weir to condense the vapor that issues therefrom. The well Ii has an outlet 26.

Figures 2 and 3 show the construction of the evaporator which is adapted to be builtI into an arrangement of this kind. The evaporator has transverse partitions 21 therein which intersect in the middle, dividing the evaporator into four vertical chambers, each of which has an outlet neck 28 to which the h'ead i6 of one of the ejectors 3 is attached. The water can be passed in through the inlet 1 at the bottom by way of a neck 29 which is enlarged at the upper end 30. The partitions 21 ,terminate above the 'bottom of the evaporator, at the level where this enlargement begins. This enlargement is in line vwith the intersection of the transverse partitions and extends up into the four chambers 21. It contains four wells 3l, one in each chamber. These wells are formed by extensions 32 into the enlargement 30 of the partitions 21. The wells when the chambers are in operation, discharge water over their upper edges. However, if one of the chambers is to be cut out for the time, the supply of steam is cut ofi to one of the evacuators 3. The condenser pressure is then free to act upon the interior of that particular chamber in water to a point nearly as far as the chilled wamore water can enter that chamber. Nevertheless, the bottom of that chamber is sealed oi from the rest of the evaporator by the level of the chilled water therein which is above the bottoms of the partitions 21 as shown in. Figure 3. Hence, when the load drops and one or more of the chambers are to be rendered inoperative, the operator needs only to cut oi the steam to one or more of the evacuators, but no valves in the intake l, or outlet 8, or the casings il are necessary. The evaporator i then continues to operate as before on the chambers that still continue in action. The partitions 21 of course extend from their lower ends quite to the top of the evaporator i.

In this construction it will be seen that the invention can be very easily set up and it is made rigid and tightand rmly braced by the rator i and condenser 2.

The construction in. Figure'l is shown withv three evacuator members, hence the evaporator will have three chambers and the enlargement 30 will be divided into three wells. Figures 2 and 3 are modifications oi the construction shown in Figure 1 wherein the evaporator is shown as containing four chambers and adapted for four ejectors. Of course, the number of evacuator chambers and ejectors can be varied.

We claim: v

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising an evaporator, -a condenser above the evaporator, and evacuator members connecting the evaporator to the condenser and bracing the latter.

2. Refigerating apparatus comprising an evaporator, a column on the top of said evaporator, a condenser supported by the column, and evacuator members connecting the evaporator to the condenser and bracing the latter, said .column being hollow to serve as an outlet Afor th liquid contents of the condenser.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising an evaporator having a column extending upward therefrom, a-condenser resting upon the column, and a plurality of evacuator .members extending from the evaporator to the condenser, said members bracing the condenser and stiffening said apparatus.

4. The combination of an evaporator, a con- -denser above the latter, steam jet evacuators connecting the evaporator to the condenser and buttre'ssing the latter, ,a supply conduit extending up into the evaporator from the bottom and havingan enlargement in the evaporator, and partitions extending inward from the wall of said evaporator and down from the top and intersecting within said enlargement to form chambers in the evaporator and supply wells in the enlargement, each chamber having one supply well therein, said chambers terminating above an outlet in the bottom of the evaporator.

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising an evaporator, a column on the evaporator, a condenser supported on said column and steam evacuator members connecting the evaporator to the condenser and buttressing the same on the latter.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising an evaporator having vertical partitions therein intersecting at the middle of the evaporator to form chambers, and steam jet evacuators connected to the chambers of the evaporator.

7. The combination of an evaporator having transverse partitions intersecting at the middle and extending downward from the top but terminating short of the bottom to form chambers therein, a member within the evaporator to admit fluid, said member being in line with the intersection of said partitions which are extended into same to form wells, one for each of said chambers, and evacuators connected to said* chambers.

8. The combination of an evaporator, a condenser above the same, means extending vertically in the evaporator dividing the same into a plurality of chambers, an upward extending evacuator connecting each of said chambers to the condenser, and supply means secured to the lower part of the evacuator, said supply means extending upward into the chambers to provide wells admitting a refrigerant thereto. Y

9. The combination of an evaporator, a condenser above the same, means extending vertically in the evaporator dividing the same into a plurality of chambers, an upward extending evacuator vconnecting each of said chambers to the condenser, and supply means secured to the lower part of the evacuator, said supply means extending upward into the chambers for admitting a refrigerant thereto and 'cooperating with -the iirst- 'named means to form a well in each of said chambers,

10. In refrigerating apparatus, vessels comprising an evaporator and a condenser in co-axial ,p vertical alignment, and meansconveying vapor from the evaporator to the condenser and acting to buttress the uppermost vessel.

l1'. In refrigerating apparatus, vessels comprising an evaporator and a condenser in the same vertical plane, means conveying vapor from the evaporator to the condenser, and means between and co-axially aligned with the evaporator and the condenser whereby one vessel supports the other.

12. In refrigerating apparatus, an evaporator, a condenser superposed on and co-axially aligned with the evaporator, and members for conveying vaporfrom the evaporator to the condenser, said members being symmetrically arranged around 14. In refrigerating apparatus, an evaporator,

a condenser in the same vertical plane as the evaporator, means co-axially aligned with the evaporator and condenser and acting to support the condenser on the evaporator, said means also actingto convey condensate from the condenser,

and a plurality of evacuator members conveying vapor from the evaporator to the condenser, the members being symmetrically arranged around the peripheries of the evaporator and condenser and being connected to each to prevent move2 ment of the condenser transversely to the axis of said means.

15. In refrigeratin'g apparatus, an evaporator l having its axis in vertical position, means forming a plurality of chambers in the evaporator, means forming a well in each chamber for liquid refrigerant, and means forming an outlet from each chamber for vapor, the chambers, wells and outlets being in symmetrical arrangement and the axis of symmetry being coincident with the axis of said evaporator. A

16. The combination of an evaporator, a condenser arranged to receive vapor from the evaporator, a hotwell arranged to receive the liquid contents of the condenser, a'weir governing liquid overflow from the hotwell, and an evacuator for the condenser arranged to discharge vapors into the path of the liquid owing over said Weir. 

